Volkswagen's big star at the upcoming IAA motor show in Munich (remember motor shows?) will be this, the ID.5 GTX. Although for only being shown off in dazzling, eye-deceiving rainbow disco colours, it's pretty obvious what the ID.5 is - a coupe version of the ID.4 electric SUV.
Chopped-back roofline
Irish buyers will already be familiar with the ID.4 - we've bought more than 1,000 of them since January, making it the best-selling electric-only model at the moment. The ID.5 takes that recipe - MEB electric car platform, big battery, motor at the rear - and to it adds a slightly slinkier shape, with a chopped-back roofline and mildly restyled front and rear ends.
Volkswagen refers to the ID.5's styling as "elegant athleticism meets efficiency" and while it's basically a chopped-off ID.4 there are some other detail differences. Those are mostly down to the lights, which get a honeycomb effect at the outer edges at the front, and a 3D effect at the rear, and to the tiny little flick-up spoiler, integrated into the edge of the boot lid. VW makes a lot of noise about the ID.5's 'big wheels' so we're going to assume that they're 21-inch rims. While it's dangerous to draw too many conclusions from a disguised motor show car, it all looks rather smart to us.
Slightly better range
The lower roof isn't just for show, either - in GTX form, Volkswagen claims that the ID.5 has a one-charge range of 497km on the WLTP test. That's fractionally more than what it claims for the more upright ID.4 GTX. The GTX suffix indicates that this show car is the range-topper of the ID.5 lineup for now, with a two-motor, four-wheel drive setup that boasts 299hp. It also gets the biggest 77kWh battery and tweaked suspension with active dampers for sportier handling.
Almost certainly, when it goes on sale in early 2022, the ID.5 will have a full model range, not just the GTX model, and will include the single-motor 204hp rear-wheel drive version, as used in the ID.4, with the 77kWh batteries. It will - probably - also get a 58kWh battery model, with a 150hp motor and a range of around 340km, but that's not confirmed yet, and Volkswagen may well take the view that a slinky flagship like the ID.5 doesn't suit a bargain-basement electric spec such as that.
Automatic warning of hazards in the road
What we do know is that the ID.5 will get a full-linked infotainment system, that can automatically download software updates over the air (while you sleep, usually). It will also have 'Car-To-X' communication, which means that the ID.5's onboard systems will be able to receive automatic warnings about hazards in the road ahead, such as an accident, or slippery surfaces.
The ID.5, and the addition of sporty GTX models for the ID lineup, is part of VW's big push to "become the most popular brand when it comes to sustainable mobility." By 2030, VW wants 70 per cent of its European sales to be electric-only, and for the whole company to be carbon-neutral by 2050.